As the top-seeded team in the West, it should be no surprise to anyone that the Denver Nuggets are the last team remaining from the Western Conference playoffs. After completing a 4-0 sweep over the Lakers, they are officially Finals-bound for the first time in the franchise’s history.
THE NUGGETS ARE IN THE NBA FINALS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FRANCHISE HISTORY 🤩 pic.twitter.com/AjExOCObH8
— ESPN (@espn) May 23, 2023
The Lakers showed plenty of fight down the stretch of the game, and LeBron James worked single-handedly to give his team a chance to extend the series. In the end, however, Denver proved to be the better team, and the team couldn’t help but celebrate after finally having a breakthrough.
THE NUGGETS ARE NBA FINALS BOUND❗️ pic.twitter.com/R5WB3zJHFt
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 23, 2023
This is obviously a huge moment for the Nuggets and the city of Denver, and it’s important to point out that they’ve earned this moment. After putting together a great season from start to finish, they were one of the few teams to bring their best version in the playoffs and now they are four wins away from an NBA championship.
As for Jokic, we know that he’s focused on the next round but this has already been a legacy-defining run for him that could end with him becoming an NBA champion. After a dominant series against the Lakers, and a Conference Finals MVP to show for it, Jokic is well on his way to adding to his already amazing legacy.
BREAKING: Nikola Jokic named Western Conference Finals MVP. 👏🔥 pic.twitter.com/YA00yzeNfb
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 23, 2023
Nikola Jokic wins Western Conference Finals MVP. pic.twitter.com/4RYnDnFA3g
— Mike Singer (@msinger) May 23, 2023
"They put me in this situation…I'm just first among the equals."
Nikola Jokic emphasizes the efforts of his @nuggets teammates as he's named Western Conference Finals MVP and presented with the Earvin 'Magic' Johnson Trophy! pic.twitter.com/JF7iq3obdk
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2023
So, what’s next for Denver after the series win? In the Finals, they will likely face a matchup against the Miami Heat, who have overcome amazing odds to make their miraculous run.
Is Nikola Jokic The Best Player In The World?
With the Joker in the middle of an impressive playoff run, fans and analysts everywhere find themselves asking if he has cemented himself as the best player on the planet.
If he can close out the Heat, and win the Finals, it would be hard to argue otherwise, considering how impressive Nikola has been throughout the postseason.
“A lot of our guys and they may not admit this, you win Game 1 of the playoffs and all everyone talked about was the Lakers. Let’s be honest, the national narrative was that the Lakers were fine,” said coach Malone. “No one talked about Nikola (Jokic) having a historic performance. He’s got 13 triple-doubles now, third all-time. What he’s doing is incredible. The narrative wasn’t about the Nuggets, the narrative wasn’t about Nikola, it was about the Lakers and their adjustments. You put that in your pipe and smoke it and come back saying ‘We’re gonna go up 2-0’.”
Obviously, the job is not yet finished for the Nuggets, but they will have plenty of time to rest and celebrate before returning to the court to prepare for their next opponent.
Whatever happens, you can bet Jokic will do whatever he can to make sure his team is ready to complete the mission and not take this opportunity for granted.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
